


Caught In Vengeance

by Dragon_Scribe



Category: One Piece
Genre: Blood, Developing Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Nightmares, Sanji and his Self-Sacrificing Tendencies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 08:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17443088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Scribe/pseuds/Dragon_Scribe
Summary: A man from Zoro’s past holds a grudge against the Demon of East Blue and will do whatever it takes to make Zoro pay. Sanji gets caught in the middle of the confrontation and it becomes a life or death situation for the Straw Hats. But, Sanji has a plan. A selfless, stupid plan.





	Caught In Vengeance

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a two-shot! I don't own any One Piece or any of the characters!
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!! Thank you so much for reading! <3

A lone figure trudged through the busy streets, crowded with market stalls and bustling with patrons. He glared at anybody that so much as glanced in his direction and kept his hooded cloak tight around himself. ‘The information must have been wrong,’ he thought to himself, eye twitching in anger. He was told that the ship was heading in the direction of this island, the one that carried the demon he sought. He turned onto another street and headed for the port, furious that his search had reached yet another dead-end.

But then he saw a flash of green pass him by. He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning as to not draw unwanted attention.

There he was. _He_ was there. The monster he’s been hunting for months was walking with his back to him—his signature three swords hanging nonchalantly from his green haramaki. And he wasn’t alone. A blond man was at his side, dressed in a fancy black suit and a cigarette balanced between his lips. He was speaking to him, his face a mixture of anger and something else that lay nearly invisible just beneath the surface. And the demon’s face was the same. Most would only see two bickering men but the hunter could see that this was merely friendly banter between rivals. A wicked smirk carved into his cracked lips.

He found the bait to catch this monster, and it was time to set the trap.

~

“Honestly, I don’t understand why I had to get stuck with the moss,” Sanji sighed, a childish pout on his face as he and Zoro walked through the marketplace.

“Stop bitching, shitty cook,” the swordsman replied, adjusting his grip on the shopping bags full of supplies that Sanji had forced him to carry. “It’s not like I wanted to be your mule,” he added.

The cook rolled his eyes, taking another breath from his cigarette, “What other use would I have for you, marimo?” Before Zoro could throw the groceries down and attack, he heard two voices call out to them.

“Sanji! Zoro!” The two men turned around to see Usopp walking over with Chopper.

“Are you guys heading back to the ship?” Usopp wondered.

“Yeah. Are you?”

“Yup! I found some new herbs that I want to start working with,” Chopper grinned excitedly.

“Okay, we’ll head back with you guys,” Sanji told them.

Zoro moved forward and pressed the bags he was carrying into Usopp’s arms, “I’m going to the bar.”

“It’s only three in the afternoon!” the sniper shouted, but Zoro was already walking away.

“Don’t get lost, marimo!” Sanji called and the swordsman glared back at him.

“Should we really just leave him?” Usopp asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke, watching the swordsman disappear from view before he turned to the others, extinguishing his cigarette and tossing the butt into a nearby garbage bin. “He’ll be fine,” he said and the three started making there way through the busy plaza, Chopper transforming into his Walk Point so the bustling crowd didn’t trample him. They were just exiting the square when a prickling feeling zapped up Sanji’s spine and he spun around. His eyes scanned around the plaza; he could have sworn he felt someone watching him.

“What’s up, Sanji?” Usopp wondered, looking back at him.

The cook didn’t see anything blatantly suspicious. He pulled out his cigarettes, tapped one out and lit it before he started walking again. “Nothing. Let’s just get back to the ship,” he told them, but he still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling he had.

~

Hours later, Zoro finally managed to find the path through the forest that leads to the _Thousand Sunny_. He definitely didn’t get lost and he would ensure that the shitty cook understood that when he got back to the ship. The sun had long since set, the moon shining through the trees in pale beams of light. After a while, he heard sounds of a struggle up ahead. Picking up the pace, he ran, his hand ready to draw his swords at the first sign of danger. It didn’t take long for him to find the source of the noise and he slowed down when he saw a familiar head of blond hair.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Sanji turned to see Zoro walking towards him, glancing from the unmoving man lying on the ground at the cook’s feet and back at Sanji with a raised eyebrow. The blond began to move forward to meet him, eyebrows furrowed but he looked more concerned than angry. “Oi, this bastard said he was looking for you. Didn’t trust the look in his eyes so I—“

There was a flash of movement. A cool sharpness found its way to Sanji’s neck mere centimeters under his left ear, and he froze. He didn’t allow himself to move despite his instincts screaming for him to get away. Zoro was watching with slightly widened eyes, focused on something just over Sanji’s shoulder, not taking another step.

“Pirate Hunter Zoro!” a raspy voice shouted from right next to his ear, making his lip pull up in disgust. The knife was pressed deeper into Sanji’s neck and he bit down on a growl as blood beaded up from the cut. “Do you remember me?” Zoro glared back at the man who held the cook at knifepoint, his fingers twitching as he resisted to draw his swords.

The stranger obviously knew him and held a pretty massive grudge against him as well. If he thought hard, he could just barely recognize some of his features, remembering one of the many horrible people that he apprehended and thrown to the Navy during his bounty hunting days. He was tempted to tell the bastard that no, he didn’t remember anyone that he didn’t deem worthy of remembering but the utterly unhinged look in his eyes stopped him. If Zoro said the wrong thing and pushed him too far, he could easily kill Sanji before he could even draw a sword. So he didn’t say anything, letting the storm in his eyes speak for him.

Thankfully, the man didn’t move to hurt Sanji, whose face was twisted in fury at being held as a hostage, and continued on to say, “My name is Jason! Two years ago, I was making a fortune selling weapons before you showed up! You ruined my life and I’ve spent the past six months since I got out of prison tracking you down so I can do the same to you!” Zoro nearly lurched forward when the bastard, Jason, threateningly dug the knife deeper in Sanji’s neck, eliciting a sharp inhale from the blond.

“Damn you, you shitty bastard,” the cook spat, furiously. Jason simply let out a manic cackle, crazed eyes meeting Zoro’s.

“I’ll spare this bitch if you take one of those pretty swords of yours and stab yourself through the heart with it.” Zoro stiffened and he saw Sanji do the same. His life or the cook’s. The damn bastard was serious, they both realized.

“Oi, Zoro,” Sanji called, a slight waver in his voice. “Don’t do it.” The cook growled as the knife was pushed even further into his skin. Blood dripped from the uneven cuts the blade made as it moved, lines of red slipping down his throat and staining his collar.

“Shut up, cook,” Zoro replied.

“You can’t die, dumbass! What about Luffy? And Mihawk?! Are you just going to throw all of that away?!” The cook shouted, furiously.

“Shut up or I’ll kill you, too!” Jason snapped.

“Ha! Like you could!” Sanji taunted, though the swordsman could see the blatant panic in his eye.

“Sanji,” he began. The blond met his gaze, waiting for what he was going to say.

If he were himself in the past, Zoro likely would have just let Sanji die. He had a promise to keep, a dream to achieve. But he wasn’t the same as he was back then. He had nakama, he was no longer all alone moving forward. He didn’t outright show it often, but he sincerely cared for his captain and his crew and he refused to let any of them die because of him.

“Yes,” Zoro said. Sanji’s face went slack at his answer. Yes, he was going to throw everything away. He was going to toss his own dreams aside in order to ensure that Sanji would live another day toward his.

This was the thought that led him to slowly reach for Wado Ichimonji; if he was going to have to kill himself, he was going to do so with his most prized possession.

An ocean blue eye locked onto the movement and widened in shock, watching helplessly as the hand continued to move towards Wado. Sanji met Zoro’s eyes and he saw the swordsman’s barely concealed worry and desperation; he felt almost like his own emotions were reflecting back at him like a mirror. His jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together as he made a decision. He refused to be used as leverage, especially against his nakama—against Zoro.

Sanji was plotting something, Zoro thought. He had a feeling it wasn’t anything good, if the grim determination in the cook’s expression was any indication. He opened his mouth to tell Sanji to not fight back; let him do what he needed to do to save him.

Suddenly, Sanji moved. It was over in mere seconds and Zoro’s mind struggled to even process what happened. He felt everything around him slow down, time crawling at a snail’s pace as the shock of the situation settled in. Zoro watched in horror as Sanji, who had managed to rip himself from Jason’s grip and now stood several feet away from him, clasped a hand over the side of his throat. Bright blood gushed through his fingers and under his palms, his visible eye wide in pain and fear and skin as white as a sheet. Cold spread through Zoro’s body, like his very blood was freezing, as Sanji fell to the ground in a heap, a pool of crimson slowly spreading beneath him and soaking into the grass.

Zoro’s rapid heartbeat pounded in his ears, unable to look away from his nakama now lying unmoving on the ground. Jason stared at Sanji in disgust, wiping his blood-covered hands on his pants. “He cut his own throat to get away? How pathetic,” he sneered.

Something clicked in Zoro’s mind: Sanji was out of Jason’s hold and the attacker was vulnerable now that his hostage was no longer in his clutches. He saw red, bloodlust oozing across his vision and burning through his veins. In seconds, Wado was drawn and cutting through flesh; the swordsman didn’t even register the blood splattering onto his face in his rage. Jason barely got a noise out before he died, crumbling to the ground. Zoro immediately sheathed his sword and darted to Sanji’s side, his heart racing.

“Oi, cook!” he called, not even bothering to hide the panic in his voice. The other man didn’t respond, only managing a weak groan as Zoro turned him onto his back.

Sanji’s eyes were wide and unseeing as they stared up through the forest’s canopy, one of his hands still weakly clasped over the wound. If it weren’t for the visible rise and fall of his chest, one would think he was already dead. Zoro had to act fast or Sanji was going to bleed out in minutes. With quick movements, he ripped off his shirt and gently moved the cook’s hand from his neck. It collapsed lifelessly to the ground and a panicked glance to Sanji’s face told him that he had passed out. Zoro’s eyes widened when they landed on the jagged wound in the cook’s neck, blood still flowing heavily from the gash.

“You’re a fucking _idiot_ , cook,” he snapped as he pressed the shirt to the wound and carefully wrapped it around Sanji’s neck, not tight enough to cut off his already labored breathing but with enough pressure to hopefully keep him from bleeding out before they got to the _Sunny_. His skin was ashen, his eyelids fluttering rapidly and his breath coming out in uneven pants. Zoro slid his arms underneath the cook and carefully lifted him up, holding him close. Sanji’s head rested against his shoulder, his body beginning to tremble as he descended further into shock from the injury. “Hold on, Sanji,” Zoro murmured.

He ran. He desperately hoped he was going in the right direction of the ship and he tried his best not to think about the warm stickiness slowly covering his chest.

~

When he broke through the forest line and found himself at the small patch of beach where they docked the _Sunny_ , he felt he could have cried with relief. He could hear voices from the deck but no one had noticed him yet.

“CHOPPER!” he bellowed, sprinting closer to the ship.

“Zoro!” Luffy shouted in response, appearing at the railing with Chopper and Usopp joining him. When he saw the cook’s limp body in his arms, his eyes widened in shock. “Sanji!” he yelled as more worried voices came from the others. Zoro tightened his grip on Sanji and leaped into the air, landing on the deck.

“Zoro, what happened?!” Usopp asked, panicked. The swordsman didn’t answer, simply forcing himself to move as fast as he could to the infirmary.

“Chopper!” he called back, knowing that the reindeer would be right behind him. He burst into the infirmary and moved towards the bed, carefully laying Sanji’s unmoving body onto it. Zoro felt a lump in his throat form when he felt the blond’s cool, sweat covered skin and Chopper was at his side, dark eyes wide. “This is too much blood… he needs a transfusion immediately!” he ran over to the small refrigerator and peered inside. He grabbed a few blood bags and raced back over.

“Zoro, can you tell me what happened?” he asked, taking Sanji’s wrist in his hooves and pressing them to his pulse point. Zoro couldn’t breath; his eyes were stuck on Sanji’s pale—too pale—face as his heart pounded in his ears. He looked like… like he was already—

“Zoro! What happened?!” Chopper shouted, snapping him out of his panic.

“Knife… his neck,” Zoro managed to get out but he couldn’t say anymore. The words stuck in his throat, lumping together and cutting off his breathing. Chopper was already hooking up the blood bags to the IV stand and he inserted the needle into Sanji’s arm with steady precision.

“The shirt was the only thing keeping him from bleeding out but he still has lost too much blood,” he noted, worriedly as he reached out for the blood-soaked shirt.

With slow movements, he untied the knot and revealed the wound. Zoro felt himself step back, his chest tightening and bile rising up his throat. He’s seen many wounds in his life without flinching, including the gory injury from when he was nearly bisected, but when he saw Sanji’s neck in the light—caused by someone that was trying to hurt _him_ —he felt like he was going to vomit. Chopper was muttering to himself, preparing his tools quickly and picking up the needle and thread for stitches. Zoro couldn’t take it anymore. He turned around and saw the rest of the crew standing before him.

They stared at Sanji in shock; tears were shining in Usopp and Nami’s eyes and worry was crystal clear in Franky and Robin’s expressions. Luffy was staring at Chopper and Sanji, his face serious but Zoro could see the pain his captain was feeling.

He had to get out of here. He forced himself past his nakama and out into the cold night air, trying to breath normally. He didn’t stop until he was on the grassy section of the deck, where he dropped to his knees and took deep, unsteady breathes. The image of Sanji’s bloodstained body wouldn’t leave his mind’s eye and with that image came a tsunami of grief, worry and anger that crashed down on him. He braced himself with one hand to the ground, fingers digging into the grass and dirt, while his other reached toward his chest. His nails scratched across the skin of his pectoral, trying to pull himself out of the maddening panic he felt. A hand landed on his shoulder and his head snapped up to see Luffy standing at his side. There was a storm brewing in his dark eyes, staring out in the direction of the island.

“Chopper will take care of him. You should go get cleaned up,” he said, his voice steady, but Zoro knew that seeing Sanji hurt so badly was tearing his captain apart. He looked down at his chest and he felt like a rush of nausea wash over him. His bare chest was covered in a thick, sticky layer of blood. He could feel it on his face and neck as well and he forced himself to his feet, stumbling towards the shower.

He had to get it off. He had to wash all this blood—Sanji’s blood and Jason’s—off or he felt like he would go crazy. Zoro ignored all the worried looks of his nakama and closed the door of the bathroom behind him. In quick movements, he pulled off his haramaki and swords, carefully setting them to the side before removing the rest of his clothes and starting the shower. Not caring that the water was freezing cold, he stood under the stream and forcibly dragged his hands across his skin, wiping the drying blood away. It mixed with the water and he watched as the red disappeared down the drain.

The image of Sanji, pale and with all of the warmth in his body bleeding out of him, made him lash out, punching at the wall almost hard enough to break through it. Tingles of pain ran up from his knuckles but he couldn’t bring himself to care, even as blood oozed slowly from the torn skin. He deserved the pain; Sanji was experiencing far worse, because he didn’t kill that bastard Jason before he could hurt his nakama. He was still too weak, and Sanji was paying the price for it.

Only when every last drop of blood was gone from his skin, leaving it slightly paler than it’s usual tan due to the cold, did he turn the water off. With a deep breath, he reached for a nearby towel. Pressing it to the damaged area on his hand, he waited until it stopped bleeding and began clotting before pulling it away. He realized while he was drying himself that he didn’t bring any clean clothes but then caught sight of a folded bundle next to the doorway. One of the guys must have brought them up for him. He felt a spark of warmth at the caring gesture before it was quickly smothered by the fact that Sanji could possibly be dead downstairs. He dressed as fast as he could, slipping on his haramaki—traces of blood were still on the fabric, however it brought him comfort to wear it—and swords and ran out of the door.

The crew was gathered outside the infirmary, waiting anxiously for the door to open and hear what was going on. Zoro found himself dropping onto the deck outside the infirmary’s door, leaning against the wall. He could just barely hear Chopper running around, mumbling to himself but he couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying. 

The _Thousand Sunny_ was silent and dim; a foreign concept, as the atmosphere of the ship was always one of laughter and a warm, loving air. Now, the only sound was that of the sea crashing against the beach. Zoro spared a glance at the others; Franky and Robin were sitting at each other sides, taking comfort in the other’s presence, Nami was leaning into Usopp’s side, unshed tears burning in her eyes as he wrapped a comforting arm around her. Luffy was sitting on the railing with his back to the infirmary door and staring out into the sky, the tension obvious in his shoulders. Zoro held his swords close to him and resolved himself to waiting, trying to keep himself from thinking the worse.

A little while later, a shadow was cast over him and he looked up to see Nami, holding a plate out for him. “He set this aside for you,” she told him, quietly. Zoro felt a lump form in his throat when he saw the onigiri neatly arranged on the plate before he slowly reached out and took it from her.

“Why did he leave the ship?” he asked, refusing to meet her gaze. She didn’t answer and he almost thought that she wasn’t going to before she sat down next to him.

“You missed dinner. He figured you got lost and went to bring you back,” she explained.

He bristled; he was the reason that Sanji had left the ship. He was the reason that Jason attacked Sanji and if he didn’t survive, he would be the reason that Sanji died. A hand on his shoulder made him glance over at the navigator.

“Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault. Sanji-kun is strong. He’ll make it,” she stated, though there was a slight tremor in her voice that exposed her worry. She stood back up and went back over to where Usopp was sitting, leaving Zoro alone. He stared down at the plate in his hands and knowing that the cook would be utterly furious if he wasted food, he ate the perfectly made onigiri despite the turmoil that was building up within him.

It was almost half an hour later when the door to the infirmary opening to reveal an exhausted Chopper.

“How is he?” “Is Sanji-bro okay?” Nami and Franky immediately asked, worriedly. The reindeer’s eyes were bloodshot and he let out a soft sigh, waiting for everyone to come closer before speaking.

“He’s not in good shape. I barely managed to save him with the blood bags we had stored and even though he’s stable now, I can’t guarantee that will last,” Chopper explained, tears in his huge eyes. “I stitched up the wound and applied a salve to help fight against infection but that’s all I can do for now. I’m sorry,” he sniffed, rubbing at his eyes.

“You’ve done what you could, Chopper. You did great,” Usopp assured him, though his voice was still choked up.

“Can we see him?” Luffy asked seriously. Chopper nodded and moved out of the way. Luffy walked in first, followed by everyone else with Zoro taking the rear. Hesitantly, he looked at the figure on the bed.

Sanji was still deathly pale, thick bandages wrapped around his neck. A half empty blood bag still slowly emptied into the cook’s body. Chopper had thrown two blankets over Sanji, tucking him in so that only his neck and head were left uncovered. The cook’s shoes were left on the floor by the foot of the bed and his ruined shirt and tie were beside them in a separate pile. Zoro felt another wave of guilt flow through him at the sight of Sanji’s hollow cheeks and the dark shadows under his eyes.

“Someone should keep watch in case something happens,” Robin spoke up.

“I will,” Zoro stated, leaving no room for argument. Everyone nodded, Nami and Usopp giving him sympathetic looks that he tried his best to ignore. Chopper noticed his knuckles and half-heartedly scolded him as he disinfected and wrapped them; he wanted to apologize to the little doctor but the words just wouldn’t come out. They all stayed together for a while, taking comfort in each other as they sat quietly until late into the night.

It was Franky’s turn on watch so he went up to the crow’s nest, Robin and Usopp deciding to turn in for the night. The only one’s still in the infirmary were Chopper, Nami and Luffy.

The tiny reindeer wiped at his eyes and peered up at Zoro, “If anything happens during the night, come get me right away.” He nodded and Chopper gave one last look to Sanji before leaving. Nami was still sitting at the foot of the cook’s bed, her face contorted with worry, while Luffy was on the floor with his hat casting a shadow over his face. Nami glanced at Zoro before standing up and leaving; he could tell that she didn’t really want to but probably wanted to leave him alone with Luffy.

“Zoro,” his captain began, seriously, as Zoro sat down against the opposite wall.

“What happened?” The swordsman took a deep breath, preparing himself to tell Luffy that this was his fault.

“Some bastard from my bounty hunting days with a grudge against me was on the island. He tried to attack the cook but failed and I showed up. The cook got distracted by me and he…” Zoro paused. “He had a knife to his throat and told me to kill myself but the cook ripped himself out of his hold and got cut in the process. He fell and I killed the damn bastard.” Luffy didn’t say anything; the only sounds in the room being Sanji’s slow breathing. Then he stood up, reaching for his hat and taking it off before hanging it on the bedframe close to Sanji’s head.

“It wasn’t your fault, Zoro,” he told Zoro, a smile coming to his face. “Sanji is going to be okay!” 

~

_They were in_ Sunny _’s kitchen. It was quiet, the window revealing a glimpse of the darkened sky and everyone else was likely asleep. Zoro sat at the table, his swords leaning against the bench he was sitting on and his head leaning against one fist. Sanji was moving around the kitchen, finishing his nightly duties as the cook of their crew and tidying up the area. The swordsman’s eyes were latched onto him, watching closely as he muttered a memorized checklist to himself, visible eye darting to and fro as he crossed each task off in his mind. There was a pull in his chest, tugging on his very soul towards the cook that confused him._

_Eventually, Sanji finished his routine and seated himself across from Zoro, fishing out his cigarettes and lighter from his breast pocket. Zoro followed the movement, watching as the lid of the lighter was flipped off and a graceful flick of the cook’s thumb sparked a bright flame. He lit the cigarette and took a deep inhale, tilting his head back and let out a smoky breath into the air above them. A bright blue eye met Zoro’s and a curly eyebrow rose. “You’ve been staring at me,” Sanji noted. He didn’t sound frustrated or angry, simply curious. He’s been speaking in that tone a lot lately, the swordsman thought to himself. Zoro didn’t answer, couldn’t find the words to explain his actions. They sat in silence for many moments as Sanji took drag after drag of his cigarette, the atmosphere as soft as the warm light that filled the room. Zoro wanted to say something—he didn’t know what—but he didn’t want to break the comfortable quiet._

_Sanji extinguished the finished cigarette on the ashtray he brought over with him and leaned forward, opening his mouth to say something. “Marimo, I—“ His words were cut off. A red line danced across his throat, his eye going wide with surprise. Blood began to flow in a horrible waterfall from his slit throat, immediately soaking the collar of his shirt. Zoro felt his entire body turn to stone, fear and shock and pain twirling about inside him in a vicious storm. Sanji tried to speak again, despite the burning agony that filled the oceans of his eye, but only managed to choke out, “Zo—“, before his body went limp; the beautiful ocean going still and lifeless._

Zoro snapped awake, his heart thumping against his sternum hard enough to bruise. His eyes darted to Sanji and he felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw that he was still unconscious but breathing evenly. Taking a deep breath, Zoro slowly let it out, dropping his head.

The nightmares started two nights after Sanji was hurt.

After days of not getting a wink of sleep, he ended up passing out while he was sitting in the infirmary, where he had hardly left. It was always just him and the cook; walking together as they explored a new island, sitting in the galley with drinks in their hands, talking late at night high up in the crow’s nest. There was always a warm feeling in his chest when he was with Sanji in these dreams that felt so real.

Then, without warning and without fail, an invisible blade slid across Sanji’s throat. Zoro relived that horrible feeling he got when it actually happened; the fear that choked him, the coldness he felt spreading through him like the warmth of the world had been drained. In some of the even more painful nightmares, Zoro would catch a glimpse of the agony Sanji felt as he choked on his own blood, the fear that twisted his face when the injury first occurred.

When his body went limp, Zoro woke up, sweating and panting, eyes frantically searching for Sanji in desperation to ensure that he was still alive. They ended up becoming a normal appearance whenever he ended up falling asleep. Robin was the only one that seemed to notice, having walked into the infirmary to watch over the cook’s sleeping form just as he woke up from the first nightmare. She simply gave him a sad, knowing look and sat down at Sanji’s bedside, opening the book she brought with her as Zoro took deep calming breaths. When she left hours later, she said that she was always there to listen if he ever needed to talk before leaving him alone.

It’s been almost a week and the cook had yet to wake up completely; at one point, a fever spiked his temperature and his cloudy eyes slid open but he was too delirious to do much except mumble a few words and pass out once more. There were no more blood bags for his rare blood type—a fact that had Chopper declaring that Sanji was going to have to give more for storage when he got better—so the cook was hooked up to IV drips to supply him with nutrients. They decided to set sail the day after Sanji was hurt, reasoning that the villagers would eventually find the body of Jason and it could lead them to the _Sunny_. Usopp and Robin had taken over cooking for everyone; it was food, however after eating Sanji’s food for so long, it paled in comparison.

It was now the fifth day and Zoro was cradling his swords in his arms, sitting on the floor of the infirmary. It was not long after dinnertime and Zoro was fighting off the heaviness of his eyelids when there was a soft groan from the other side of the room. Immediately, he was on his feet, standing at Sanji’s side. The cook’s eyebrows were scrunched up but his eyes were still closed.

“Cook?” Zoro called.

It took a few moments before his eyes fluttered open. A disoriented blue orb drifted over to Zoro, staring at him.

“Zo...ro?” Sanji’s voice was a raspy croak, his face scrunching up in pain after he spoke. The swordsman knew that he should go get Chopper and tell him that Sanji was up but he didn’t want to leave his side.

“You’re finally awake, shit cook,” He said, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. Sanji frowned at him, obviously trying to shake off the last shreds of unconsciousness.

“What—“ He was cut off when the door opened. Chopper stood in the doorway and when he saw that Sanji was blinking against the light of the room, his eyes filled with tears.

“Sanji!” he squealed, hurrying to his side. Zoro got up and out of the reindeer’s way, stepping back away from the bed. “How are you feeling? Wait, don’t answer that, your throat has to heal more before you can talk again. Um, show me on your fingers: on a scale of one to five, how much does it hurt?” Chopper asked. Sanji shifted and his body stiffened, his face twisting up slightly before he lifted his hand to show the doctor three fingers. The little doctor nodded, sadly, “That’s understandable. It was a really bad wound.” Before he could say anymore, Luffy appeared in the doorway. A massive grin split across his face when he saw Sanji.

“SANJI! You’re awake!” he screamed, running inside.

There were inquiring voices outside and approaching footsteps. The rest of the crew filed into the room, giving excited greetings to their awakened crewmate. Sanji managed a tired smile at everyone as Chopper checked his vitals and temperature. Once he was finished, Nami and Luffy made their way over to the bed; Nami sitting on the edge near his legs and Luffy standing next to his head adjacent to his straw hat, which still rested on the bedframe. Zoro stood with everyone else, if a little farther back than they were. The cook’s body was obviously very weak, a harsh contrast to how he usually looked: strong, unbending.

“How… bad?” Sanji managed, slowly.

“The knife cut deep enough to do some pretty bad damage and it nicked one of the smaller arteries in your neck and that’s why you were bleeding so much. Luckily, it missed your carotid but you still almost bled out,” Chopper explained, his voice choked up. Sanji reached out and pressed his hand against the little reindeer’s head comfortingly. “Zoro got you here just in time for me to save you. I had to use all the blood bags we had for you and it almost wasn’t enough, but you’re going to make a full recovery as long as you don’t push yourself,” Chopper told him, pointedly. Zoro watched as the cook gave Chopper a reassuring smile, before he suddenly met his eyes. There was gratitude in the blue pool of his eye and it made that sharp feeling of guilt prod at Zoro’s chest once more. He looked away.

“Get some rest, okay, Sanji-kun? We’ll take care of everything until you get back on your feet,” Nami told him. The cook must have been really exhausted because instead of his usual lovey-dovey fawning or even the love-struck look that was always in his eyes when the ladies acknowledged him, he simply returned the smile as best as he could. Without a word, Zoro left the infirmary, unaware of the pained eyes that watched his back.

~

Now that Sanji had woken up, it felt like the whole _Sunny_ had let out a sigh of relief. Zoro avoided going to the infirmary unless he was certain that the cook was asleep. He spent the days up in the crow’s nest, training harder and harder in order to never have what happened occur again. He needed to get stronger and then even stronger than that. If he couldn’t protect his nakama, how was he supposed to become the greatest swordsman in the world?

At night, after a simple dinner that lacked the perfection of Sanji’s food, he would slip into the infirmary. Even after Sanji woke up, Luffy left his straw hat with him on the bed and Zoro knew that the gesture was greatly appreciated by the cook. Whether it was intentional or not, Sanji’s hand would always drift up to the treasured hat and brush his fingers against the worn straw in his sleep. The others still stayed with him, taking turns spending time with the healing cook until nighttime, when Zoro came in. He sat in his usual spot against the wall, swords in his arms, and allowed himself to give in to the exhaustion that pulled at him. He thought that because Sanji was awake and not at risk for dying in his sleep, his nightmares would go away.

They didn’t.

He still woke up in the middle of night with his heart in his throat as he sought out Sanji.

Tonight was no different.

His entire body jolted as he snapped awake. A sheen layer of sweat coated his body, his frantic eyes snapping to Sanji. It was still nighttime and the room was dark aside from the moonlight that streamed in. Once his eyes adjusted, he was able to see the worried blue orb staring back at him. Not only was Sanji still alive, he was awake and watching him.

“Did I wake you up?” Zoro asked, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep and images of blood. Sanji shook his head once, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Go back to sleep. You need your rest,” the swordsman said, repositioning his swords against his shoulder.

“You… okay?” Sanji spoke, his voice rough. He was worried about him?

“I’m fine,” Zoro answered after a minute.

“Liar,” the cook muttered.

“Shut up, stupid cook.” It was almost too easy for them to slip back into their usual banter. As if nothing happened, as if Sanji was not on the brink of death less than a week ago. Zoro let out a shaky sigh, squeezing his eyes shut.

There was a snap across the room and he looked to see that Sanji was waving him over, the effort making his movements slow and lethargic. With a frown, the swordsman stood up and sat himself down in the chair next to the bed. A cool hand latched loosely around Zoro’s wrist and he reluctantly allowed Sanji to pull his arm towards him. His face felt warm when the cook maneuvered his palm to lie flat against the cook’s chest and held it there. Zoro felt a sense of comfort feeling the steady, if a little fast, pulsing of the cook’s heartbeat beneath his fingertips, beneath his palm.

“I’m alive,” Sanji said. Zoro’s eyes widened slightly at the gentle yet strong way he spoke the words. As if Sanji were trying to assure him that it was the truth, to comfort him.

“I know,” The swordsman pulled his hand back and looked away, his eyes landing on the straw hat beside Sanji’s pillow. More poisonous thoughts pooled in his mind and he let out another sigh, resting his forehead on the heel of his palm.

“’M sorry,” Sanji coughed, quietly. Zoro met his gaze in surprise and a shocking amount of anger.

“Sorry? What the hell are you sorry for, cook? This was all my fault! That bastard was trash from my past that I didn’t take out when I had the chance and look what happened!” he shouted, digging his fingers into his thighs in frustration.

His head was bent and he didn’t see the hand that smacked into the side of his head.

“Oi!” Zoro growled, extremely tempted to punch the blond until he saw the fury in Sanji’s eyes.

The cook pointed at himself, “My… choice,” he forced out, his voice cracking. He tried to clear his throat until another wave of pain must’ve hit him because he hissed in frustration. Carefully, turning his head, he scanned the room until he saw something on Chopper’s desk. “Paper,” he ordered, pointing at a small notepad. Zoro got up and grabbed it and a pencil before handing it over. Sanji shifted as best as he could until he was in a shaft of moonlight before he started writing. Zoro waited with bated breath as he did so, trying to resist looking at the pad before he was finished. After a minute, Sanji handed it over to Zoro and he began to read the slightly shaky cursive.

 ‘ _This isn’t your fault. I was the one who let my guard down and I’m the one who took the risk to get away from that shitty bastard. It was my choice_.'

Zoro didn’t know what to say in response. Though it didn’t eradicate the guilt that had been building up for the past week, it did help. “You could have died, cook,” he mumbled. “Why did you do it?” Sanji didn’t respond, made no move to retrieve the paper to write an answer. He simply averted his eyes and almost seemed to sink back into the pillow.

Zoro wasn’t going to push him, especially since it was partially his fault that Sanji had gotten hurt in the first place. He stood up; he didn’t know what he was going to do, maybe go see if Usopp would let him take over his night watch. Before he could even take a step, a hand grabbed his wrist. He looked down to see half-lidded eyes staring back at him, “Will you… stay?” Sanji asked in a near whisper. The swordsman found himself unable to move, frozen solid by the vulnerable look on his face. When he didn’t say anything for a few long moments, Sanji let his hand drop and looked away. “Don’t… have to,” he said lowly.

Without saying a word, Zoro grabbed his swords and sat back down, leaning his swords against the wall next to him. Surprise was clear on the cook’s exhausted face as Zoro made himself comfortable. “Go to sleep, cook. You need your rest,” he grunted, closing his eyes. Silence filled the room before there was a soft chuckle that made something tighten in Zoro’s chest.

“Night, marimo,” Sanji said.

“Night, cook.”

 


End file.
